5 Bands Formed in 1963 That Shaped Popular Music as We Know It Today

Pop music was in the middle of an intense evolutionary period in the early 1960s, and the bands formed in 1963 were byproducts of this metamorphosis. Beatlemania was in its earliest stages, the commercial music industry was booming, and deeply influential musical pockets were finding their footing around the world. Here are just five bands that formed in 1963, all of which went on to shape popular music as we know it today.

The Kinks

The earliest iterations of the band that would later call themselves The Kinks sprang up in suburban North London in 1962. Around 1963 was when the band, formerly called The Ravens, adopted their new stage name, The Kinks. Under this moniker, the band was one of many groups in the British Invasion that defined this period of rock ‘n’ roll history. Notable tracks include “Lola”, “You Really Got Me”, and “Waterloo Sunset”.

The Yardbirds

The Yardbirds were influential not only in the music they produced during their short-lived tenure as a band but also in the music that their individual members produced after the band parted ways. Jimmy Page would go on to form Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck formed The Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice, Jim McCarty and Keith Relf formed Renaissance, and Eric Clapton also pursued a successful solo career. Indeed, all of these pioneering bands can be traced back to this original band, which formed in London in 1963.

The Righteous Brothers

Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley performed in a group called The Paramours in the early 1960s. After this group failed to take off, Hatfield and Medley eventually joined forces as a duo called The Righteous Brothers. The duo helped usher in a new era of blue-eyed soul with songs like “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”, “(You’re My) Soul And Inspiration”, and, of course, “Unchained Melody”.

MC5

MC5 was one of several highly influential bands to come out of the Michigan rock ‘n’ roll scene in the mid-20th century. The band’s anti-establishment ethos and lyrical content helped solidify the foundations of future punk, garage rock, as well as psychedelic rock. Notable hits include “Kick Out The Jams”, “Looking At You”, “The American Ruse”, and their rendition of “Motor City Is Burning”.

Bob Marley & The Wailers

Finally, we often think of the 1960s as being a key evolutionary period for rock ‘n’ roll specifically. But that was hardly the only genre finding its way into the mainstream musical world. Bob Marley And The Wailers were paving the way for popular reggae and ska music upon their formation in 1963. The group became a defining figure in the reggae music movement, thanks to hits like “I Shot The Sheriff”, “Get Up, Stand Up”, “War”, and “Trenchtown Rock”.

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